Confident approach

Stephanie Brown Trafton was among a delegation of American coaches and athletes invited to take an official walk-through of the Olympic Stadium here this morning, the first time Team USA has done so since the 1936 Games.

The structure is, in a word, colossal. When you couple that immensity with an awareness of the history that unfolded inside the building’s stone and beyond its columns, the awe of the experience leaves its imprint. Needless to say, Brown Trafton was intimidated.

Then, she began to think about the fans who would be filing into that stadium for the World Championships in a day’s time. Germans have an appreciation for the discus, and they have a local legend to support in Franka Dietzsch, the aging but reigning world champion. The combination should have been enough to leave Brown Trafton, admittedly a newcomer to the international stage, quivering with fear.

But the 29-year-old Californian has become a pillar of confidence in the 12 months since she burst onto the scene with her improbable victory at the Beijing Olympics. She enters this competition with the leading mark in the world and the confidence of a champion.

Comments

Stephanie:
Thank you for sharing your trip with us back home. I am sure the entire board of the PAUSATF are reading every word, and praying for you to remain healthy and produce your very best. Good luck and God speed.